Pharaoh of Dynasty
XVIII
1480 - 1426 B.C.E.
Tuthmosis III was born in 1516
B.C.E. He was the son of Tuthmosis II and one of his concubines named Isis.
Tuthmosis II was married to Hatshepsut who was his sister and daughter of
Tuthmosis I. She grew up and was educated as a prince which molded her into an
ambitious and strong-minded adult. Because of Tuthmosis II’s poor heath
and lack of leadership skills, Hatshepsut assumed much of the power during his
reign. Hatshepsut considered Tuthmosis III to be a bastard son and believed him
to be unworthy of being Pharaoh because he had no royal blood in him. Since
Tuthmosis II and Hatshepsut hadn’t had any sons, Tuthmosis III would be
the heir to the throne, so in 1504 B.C.E. when Tuthmosis II dies, the young
Tuthmosis III is crowned. At this time Tuthmosis III was only around twelve
years old, and Hatshepsut believed it would be better if she retained the power
of the Pharaoh.
As a child, Tuthmosis III spent most of his time in Thebes. This is where he was educated on how to rule Egypt once he took over. During this time the Amon clergy were in charge of educating all the young to be pharaohs, and this was done at the palace of Karnak. Here he learned about everything from culture and art to military and leadership techniques. Tuthmosis III soon began to excel as an administrator and statesman, as well as a general and warrior. He gained military skills such as archery and horsemanship, which he displayed to the public on many occasions, and boasted that none of his followers could equal him in marksmanship or physical prowess. In around 1480BC, after the sudden death of Harshepsut, Tuthmosis III became supreme ruler. Tuthmosis III began to deface any of Hatshepsut’s monuments and replaced her name with Tuthmosis I, II, or III, in an effort to erase his stepmother’s name from history. This is the only negative act that stood out in Tuthmosis III’s reign.
Tuthmosis III was Pharaoh during the 18th
Dynasty from 1504-1450 B.C.E. He was beloved and respected as a great warrior
as well as being a sincere and fair-minded leader. Tuthmosis III is believed to
be one of the greatest of Egyptian rulers because he was able to re-established
Egyptian control over Syria and Nubia. He was also able to adorn his kingdom
with revenues from these conquests. He built the temple of Amun at Karnak and
erected many obelisks, including "Cleopatra's Needle." His mother, Hatshepsut,
first acted as regent for Tuthmosis III then took the throne from him. After
the death of Hatshepsut, Tuthmosis III & IV
began a bitter persecution of her memory, cutting out her name on monuments and
placing both of their own over it wherever they could find it.
Tuthmosis II’s and Hatshepsut’s reigns were peaceful and saw very little warfare. But when Tuthmosis III took over power things were already starting to change. Unrest started to occur in many areas of Africa, Syria, and elsewhere. The first of seventeen successful campaigns happened only a few months into his reign, at the city of Megiddo. This campaign, which is recorded in great detail on the walls of the temple he built in Karnak, revealed Tuthmosis III as a military genius. Tuthmosis III used the element of surprise attack when he invaded Mediggo, using the least expecting route. This route was narrow, hilly, and difficult to pass, and it took over twelve hours to reach the valley on the other side. Tuthmosis III lead his men through the hills and when he made it to the valley he waited until the last man made it through safely.
This attack from the rear gave the Egyptians an upper hand and played a big part in their victory. The battle lasted more than seven months and when it was over Tuthmosis III let the enemy leaders go so that they could tell everyone who the new leader of Egypt was. This victory not only gained Tuthmosis III the respect of the people of Egypt but also the respect of leaders and kings of other nations as the rightful pharaoh and a very skilled and intelligent general. Through the rest of his reign, Tuthmosis III engaged in sixteen more campaigns and won every one of them. Because of his undefeated record, Tuthmosis III is often referred to as “The Napoleon of Egypt”. Some of his biggest victories came against the Mitannian empire. He captured and gained control of many Mitannian territories, which expanded his power over northern Palestine and Phoenicia. He erected a stele at he Euphrates River to mark the boundary of the Egyptian Empire
Tuthmosis III was admired and revered for generations to come for having a great impact on Egypt both as a nation and as a culture. He constructed many great buildings and obelisks throughout his empire. Buildings were constructed at Heliopolis, Memphis, Abydos, and Aswan, as well as the additions made to the great temple at Karnak, where he had his annals inscribed in the walls. During the last year of his life he appointed his son Amenhotep II to succeed him. Amenhotep II was the son of Tuthmosis III’s second wife Meryetre, who was Hatshepsut’s daughter and Tuthmosis III’s half sister. Tuthmosis III was laid to rest, in 1426 B.C.E. in the Valley of the Kings in western Thebes.
REFRENCES:
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/1/0,5716,74241+2+72353,00.html Britannica.com, Thutmose III.
http://www.geocities.com/The Topics/Shores/7037/thutmose/thut3.htm Geocities.com, Thutmose III and Hatshepsut.
http://touregypt.net/kartuth.htm Tour Egypt.net, Thutmose III Festival Temple.
http://www.eyelid.co.uk/k-q3.htm Eyelid, Thutmose III- The Nepoleon of Ancient Egypt.
Grolier Interactive Encyclopedia, Thutmose III, King of Egypt, 1998.
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, Thutmose III.
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